A variety of pet carriers have been reported in the prior art, all aimed in one form or another to facilitate pet transportation. Specifically, pet carriers are commonly used by pet owners for carrying their pets on trips or as a means for containing the pets when the pets are shipped from one point to another. Pet carriers also commonly double as sleeping quarters for the pet as the owner may contain the pet overnight to prevent the pet from wandering and potentially damaging the home or hotel room in which the owner is occupying.
Attention is first directed to U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,534, and the art cited therein, which patent is assigned to TFH Publications, Inc, and which is directed in one embodiment to a pet carrier/portable habitat structure for containing a pet comprising a bottom panel containing a floor surface, along with the use of a top panel, a left panel, a right panel and a first end panel and a second end panel. The first and second end panels are releasably engaged to said carrier and the left and right panels each comprise an upper and lower section hingedly connected to one another so as to collapse the left and right panels inwardly into said pet carrier. The carrier may include a perforated tray removably placed within the bottom panel including openings to allow for passage of liquids into the bottom panel, along with supports positioned between the tray and the bottom panel to maintain the tray above the floor surface of the bottom section.
Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,568, and the art cited therein, which patent is also assigned to TFH Publications Inc., and which is directed in one embodiment to a collapsible/foldable structure comprising a top roof and a bottom platform and front and rear collapsible walls each pivotally attached to the bottom platform. The structure further contains a pair of sidewalls each pivotally attached to said roof to facilitate inward collapse of said sidewalls when said sidewalls are pivoted toward said bottom platform. Furthermore, the top roof section may contain two roof sections pivotally attached to one another at about the mid-point of the two roof sections, so that the two roof sections can collapse downwardly along their pivotable attachment toward the bottom platform.
Reference is next made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/348,995 entitled Roll-Top Pet Carrier, filed Jan. 22, 2003, and the art cited therein, also assigned to TFH Publications Inc. This application stands directed in one embodiment at a carrier for pets with slidable roll-away sides that retract into a base along with ends that fold down and a handle for carrying. The carrier is described as being preferably made of plastic which allows for light weight, lower cost, and easier cleaning.
Further review of the patent literature begins with U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,028, entitled “Pet Carrier” which discloses a carrier including a main unit and an insert unit. The main unit defines a carrying space having a closed bottom and four sides, one of which has an opening therethrough large enough to permit an animal to enter the space through the opening, and the insert unit has a closed top, four sides, and an open bottom. After the animal has entered the main unit, the insert unit is lowered down into the main unit to close off the side opening. Then a foldable top closure for the main unit is folded to secure the carrier and form a handle structure for carrying the carrier. Both units are foldable and are structured to provide an enhanced strength carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,392, entitled “Pet Carrier” discloses a corrugated plastic pet carrier with two side panels. A side panel fold line extends between the base panel and each side panel. In addition, a diagonal fold line is said to extend from each corner of the base panel to a first median fold line for collapsing the base panel, side panels and end panels inwardly for collapsing the container from an erect position to a collapsed, generally flat position, and back to an erect position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,294, entitled “Pet Carrier for Vehicles” discloses a pet carrier for use in a vehicle comprising a platform sized to generally fit on the passenger seat. Front, rear and side panels are pivotally connected to the platform for movement between generally horizontal positions and upright positions wherein they form a pet enclosure upstanding from the platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,637 discloses what is termed a “container” to house or carry small household pets, which may be quickly and manually formed between an erected use mode and a flat folded storage mode. The container is of a gable roofed house configuration in its erected mode and comprises an interconnected structure formed by hingeably related rigid planar elements that occupy a relatively small volume in the folded storage mode. Handles carried by the roof provide aid in manual carriage, and releasable fasteners maintain either an erected or storage mode, and en end wall provides a selectively latchable door.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,116 discloses a collapsible A-frame house providing a common site for a cat to rest, exercise and play comprised of a roof of carpet-like material including two integral roof panels with their bottom edges connected to opposing edges of a floor panel also of a carpet-like material. Stiffening panels are affixed onto the backside of the roof panels. A cord with two ends slidably passes through the peak into the house, with cat amusement objects connected to each end. The cord additionally provides a manual handle for lifting the house. Collapsing the house for storage or transport, the house is initially lifted by the cord adjacent the peak. The flexible nature of the floor panels permits an outward folding or buckling of the floor along its longitudinal centerline to thereby completely collapse the house into a folded condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,618 discloses a collapsible animal enclosure comprising a house unit with spaced side walls and a roof of pliable material, and opposite ends forming an enclosed area for housing an animal. Support bows extend transversely across the sidewalls and roof for holding the sidewalls and roof in an open, spread apart condition. The house unit can be collapsed between a fully erect condition and a collapsed condition in which the ends are pushed inwardly towards one another, collapsing a pliable material between the ends in an accordion-folded manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,681 discloses an animal house, including a cap, a base, four posts and four walls secured together. Both the cap and base include a groove formed in the inner peripheral portion, and the posts each include two slots for engaging with the edges of the walls so as to solidly secure the walls in place. The animal house may be folded into a compact configuration.
Finally, as it relates to background art concerning pet carriers, attention is also directed to U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,540 entitled, “Collapsible, Portable Domestic Pet Cage”, which discloses a collapsible, portable domestic pet cage for carrying with a pet keeper such domestic pets as dogs, cats and the like, wherein bent portions of the cage can be readily constructed using any connection means and fixing means, and when collapsed dimensionally in small form, the whole circumferential walls of the cage is accommodated between vertical walls of a ceiling plate and erected walls of a receptacle plate or dish so as to be made dimensionally in a small size.